Makes an appropriation of $7,000,000 to the department of health relating to helping individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia maintain their independence.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5492
2013-2014 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 28, 2013
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT, MILLMAN, MARKEY, DINOWITZ -- Multi-
Sponsored by -- M. of A. ARROYO, BENEDETTO, CAHILL, COLTON, CUSICK,
JAFFEE, PEOPLES-STOKES, PERRY, RAMOS, ROBINSON, SCHIMMINGER, WEISEN-
BERG -- read once and referred to the Committee on Aging
AN ACT making an appropriation to the department of health relating to
helping individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia
maintain their independence, remain at home and to support their care-
givers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature finds that
2 Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative disease that usually begins gradu-
3 ally, causing a person to forget recent events or familiar tasks. It is
4 the most common form of dementia. How rapidly it advances varies from
5 person to person, but the brain disease eventually causes confusion,
6 personality and behavioral changes, and impaired judgment. Communication
7 becomes difficult as the affected person struggles to find words, finish
8 thoughts or follow directions. Eventually, people with Alzheimer's
9 disease become unable to care for themselves.
10 In 1996, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
11 published an article called "A family intervention to delay nursing home
12 placement with patients with Alzheimer's disease". In this and subse-
13 quent documents, the study's author, M. Mittleman of the Siberstein
14 Aging and Dementia Research Center at the New York University Medical
15 School, points out that with the use of a protocol similar to the array
16 of services available through a combination of the Alzheimer's disease
17 Assistance Centers and the Alzheimer's Disease Community Service
18 Program, they were able to demonstrate that people in the treatment
19 group were able to achieve a median length of stay at home of 521 days
20 longer than the control group. In other words, they were able to delay
21 nursing home placement by 521 days.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09213-01-3
A. 5492 2
1 In 2004, an updated study was released confirming the 1996 study show-
2 ing that caregiver interventions and supports had a significant impact
3 in delaying nursing home placements and decreased the symptoms of
4 depression over a three year period. Troublesome behavior is a signif-
5 icant predictor of nursing home placement.
6 Therefore, the legislature hereby finds that supporting community
7 based interventions to provide essential respite care, caregiver support
8 and training, information and referral and other family support as well
9 as helping to provide diagnosis, assessments and treatment through the
10 Alzheimer's disease Assistance Centers and the Alzheimer's Disease
11 Community Service Program, will help save the state money by delaying
12 nursing home placements and will improve the quality of care and the
13 quality of life for persons with Alzheimer's disease and related demen-
14 tia and their caregivers.
15 § 2. The sum of seven million dollars ($7,000,000), or so much thereof
16 as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the department of health
17 out of any moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to the cred-
18 it of the state purposes account, not otherwise appropriated, and made
19 immediately available as follows:
20 a. three million dollars ($3,000,000) for services and expenses of the
21 Alzheimer's disease Assistance Centers for the period April 1, 2013
22 through March 31, 2014;
23 b. three million dollars ($3,000,000) for services and expenses of the
24 Alzheimer's Disease Community Service Program for the period April 1,
25 2013 through March 31, 2014; and
26 c. one million dollars ($1,000,000) for services and expenses of the
27 Alzheimer's Community Assistance Program for the period April 1, 2013
28 through March 31, 2014.
29 Such moneys shall be payable on the audit and warrant of the comp-
30 troller on vouchers certified or approved by the commissioner of health
31 in the manner prescribed by law.
32 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
